My grandmother's family [Porfiria Guerra] was very rich. They were the Guerras-Cabazos. They had a ranch in Reynosa called Guerreno because it was the land of their forefathers. They also had land in Matamoros. They had many ranches there. However, my grandfather, Jesus Cabazos, wasn't rich. 3

This area was settled by Don Martin De León in October,
1824, after receiving the privilege of colonizing the area by the Mexican
National Government. The colonization laws encouraged the settlement of
Texas, provided that those who came showed evidence to their Christian beliefs,
morality, and good habits.5

The precise reasons for their quick departure from the
area are unknown; however, A. B. J. Hammett (1973) in his book, The Empresario:
Don Martin De León, describes the changes that occurred after
the Mexican War that could have influenced Jesus and Porfiria to leave Victoria:

Jesus and Porfiria were the parents of at least six children (see details here):
Jesus, born in 1853, Josefa, in 185513, Luis, in 185814, Rafaela, in 186115, Francisco,
in 186316, and Flora.17 They spent most of their lives on a ranch called Zapotal
in Reynosa in the Mexican state of Tampulipas.

When Jesus Cabazos died, his wife gave much of the land
they owned to their nephews and then moved to El Chiquito, Mexico.18

8. Their son Luis Cavazos was born in 1857 in the area of Reynosa according to the birth record of his son, Pablo Cavazos. See civil registration of Reynosa, Tampulipas, Mexico, births, 1882-1889 (1888), act number 20 (FHC 1104251). Also Jesus Cabazos was not listed in the 1860 Texas census in Victoria, Texas. David Cavazos, great-grandson of Jesus Cavazos, said that because Jesus became ill, the family returned to Reynosa around 1856, in an interview September 10, 1983 (back).

11. Baptismal record at Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Victoria, Texas. Volume 2, page 70 (third entry), act 470 (FHC 0025514). I also have two other handwritten certificates copied from the original, one recorded in 1947 and the other in 1996. The spelling of Porfiria's is different in both even though they were taken from the same record, serving as a good example of how discrepancies can arise (back).

Civil Registration: Reynosa, Tampulipas, Mexico. Marriages, 1917-1923, act 183, August 21, 1918 (FHC 1104436). This certificate was filed to record the birth of Porfirio Cavazos which occurred earlier in 1876 (delayed registration). His parents were Isidoro Cavazos and Josefa Cavazos de Cavazos. His grandparents on his mother's side were Jesus Cavazos and Porfiria Guerra. Porfirio's uncle, Jesus Cavazos, testified of the facts of his nephew's birth. Jesus was 65 in 1918, according to the record (back).

14. Civil Registration: Reynosa, Tampulipas, Mexico. Births 1882-1889 (1887), act 34, May 25, 1887 (FHC 1104251). Birth record of Luis' son, Luis. It indicates the birth dates of all parties involved. It also states that Tomasa Garza, born in 1865, was the wife of Luis (back).